- Our office: London-based team
- Our areas of focus: Media development
- Our partners: The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, European Union, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Deutsche Welle Akademie, Global Affairs Canada, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, National Democratic Institute, USAID
About our work
For nearly a decade, our work in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus has focused on supporting media platforms to become truly public service, through training and mentoring based on the editorial values and principles of the BBC.
In Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, we are working with local and national media outlets and national and international partners in our Eastern Neighbourhood programme. We are supporting partners through training, mentoring and skill-building to improve audiences' access to high-quality, accurate and engaging content, which can help counter disinformation and support democracy and prosperity in these politically fragile contexts. And, in addition to supporting journalists, editors, and producers by strengthening editorial skills and strategy, we include a focus on policies and practices for diversity, inclusion and safeguarding.
In Moldova, we are currently supporting Tele-Radio Moldova’s transformation from a state broadcaster to public service broadcaster, while in Ukraine we keep working with the Ukrainian public broadcaster, Suspilne, a key partnership during wartime.
Our past projects include Support to Independence Media in the Eastern Partnership Countries, a multi-country effort to support independent public interest media to produce accurate and impartial journalism and creative content.
We continue to work extensively with Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne (formerly UA:PBC), as it transitions away from a state model. This has included support for a modern newsroom and the development of multi-platform programming that provides trusted information and a forum for debate and discussion.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, we have continued our support to independent media outlets in Ukraine to help them stay on-air, and conducted Lifeline training to help them better serve their audiences with the information they need most to survive and cope in wartime.
Watch to find out what it has been like for Suspilne to broadcast through the conflict. (Warning: contains strong language)
Latest news from Europe and Caucasus
Read all our latest news-
Media supporting mine safety in Ukraine
Ukraine is now the most mined country in the world and media is playing a role helping to keep people safe. -
Trusted media on the frontline
Two years after the full-scale invasion, we hear from journalists on the eastern front about media as a lifeline. -
Visible: Supporting inclusion for LGBTQI+ communities
Based on our audience research, we have supported Suspilne, Ukraine’s public service broadcaster, to commission Vydymi (Visible), a landmark film series about equity and inclusion. -
Serving audiences when they need it most in Armenia
In this conference in Yerevan, we explored the media's vital role in times of crisis with local media partners - read their reflections. -
'No one knew anything' - our new film from Ukraine
Roman and Mariya sheltered for more than a month outside Kyiv under heavy shelling - watch to learn how radio and communication helped them and their neighbours to survive and cope. -
Saving lives with radio - a view from the frontlines
"Now, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, everything has completely changed - my work, the content, and my life." Hear from Liudmyla Tiahnyriadno, a host on Ukrainian Radio, providing life saving information to those caught in war. -
Yes, I Am a Woman – changing perceptions in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine continues, public broadcaster Suspilne has released a new series called “Yes I Am a Woman” to help transform perceptions around gender roles in the conflict. Watch these powerful stories of five women here. -
Public interest broadcasting from the frontlines in Ukraine
How Suspilne is bringing trusted information to audiences in wartime -
Strengthening Armenia’s vibrant independent media
We are working with students and public interest media to improve journalistic standards and ensure access to objective, impartial and trustworthy information. -
INSIGHT: Supporting media and humanitarian practitioners
We are highlighting our projects in Nigeria, Somalia and Ukraine, and the challenges humanitarians face in communicating with communities affected by crises. -
Perugia Declaration for Ukraine
We stand in solidarity with public interest media and journalists covering the war in Ukraine. Read the Perugia declaration (leads to a third party site). -
Our statement on Ukraine
We stand with colleagues and media partners as they cover the war in Ukraine under incredibly challenging conditions. Read our statement and support our crisis appeal. -
Why women in journalism need to be part of pandemic and conflict recovery
Our media partners in Ukraine are continuing to broadcast under difficult conditions - and women journalists face particular challenges. Our project manager, Julie Boutros, examines how to best support them - now and in the future. -
The struggle to remain independent – Georgia’s Netgazeti
Over the last decade, Netgazeti.ge, an online Georgian- and Russian-language news portal in Tbilisi, has covered conflict, political turmoil and COVID-19, in a challenging environment. -
Understanding media audiences in Georgia
Our Georgian media partners wanted to understand how to better serve their audiences. Our researchers uncovered some fascinating insights. -
Meet Suspilne: a rebranded, modern broadcaster in Ukraine
In autumn 2021, our partner in Ukraine, Suspilne (Public), unveiled its a modern newsroom that will form the central hub for its rebranded operations. Read about the process with our partners here.
Our insight and impact
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How can media represent LGBTQI+ communities more effectively in Ukraine?
This briefing outlines our research findings and learnings from producing a series of short documentary films designed to increase understanding around LGBTQI+ communities in Ukraine. -
Changing gender roles in conflict in Ukraine: a research study
This series of research briefings examines women's information needs, media usage and changing roles - it is our largest-ever study in Ukraine. -
Understanding media habits and information needs of Russian speakers in the Baltics
We explored how Russian-speaking communities in Estonia and Latvia engage with the media.
Past projects in Europe and Caucasus
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Support to independent media in the Eastern Partnership countries
Our work in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus supports public interest media. -
Supporting Ukraine’s new public service broadcaster
We have supported the newly-established national public broadcaster in Ukraine, UA:PBC, to grow and evolve as an independent, impartial news broadcaster. -
Supporting independent news in Ukraine
Through a Good Governance Fund-supported programme we have worked to enhance the capacity of the Ukrainian TV station – Hromadske TV. -
Reducing tension in Ukraine through youth-focused drama
5baksiv (5 bucks) was a TV drama aiming to improve understanding between different groups of young people in Ukraine through comedy, debate and discussion.
